The Roses (film) 2025: Cast, Where to Watch, and Review

There’s a reason the title The War of the Roses still makes people wince — and it’s not just the divorce. The 2025 reimagining, simply called The Roses, drops Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch into that same bitter premise, now as a streaming-era release from Disney+.

Release year: 2025 · Director: Jay Roach · Cast: Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch · Genre: Satirical black comedy · Streaming: Disney+

Eight data points, one pattern: the packaging is as important as the stars — a comedy built for streaming, not for a traditional theatrical run.

Where can I watch The Roses movie?

The Roses is a streaming-first release, and Disney+ is the primary home. The official Disney+ explore page says the film “is available through Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers” (Disney+ availability note). If you’re in the US with a Hulu bundle, that’s your quickest path.

Rotten Tomatoes confirms Disney+ and Hulu subscription viewing, and also lists Fandango rental or purchase options (Rotten Tomatoes viewing options). Plex adds Apple TV and Amazon Video as purchase points (Plex (streaming guide)), while Filmelier lists YouTube, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, and Fandango At Home (Filmelier (streaming guide)).

Is The Roses on Netflix?

• No — The Roses is not available on Netflix.

None of the official or third-party listings mention Netflix. Disney+ holds the current streaming rights, and the rental and purchase options are spread across Fandango, Apple TV, Amazon Video, and YouTube.

Which channel is The Roses on?

The film is available through Hulu for Disney+ bundle subscribers in the US, and Rotten Tomatoes lists Fandango as a rental or purchase option. Plex also lists Apple TV and Amazon Video purchases.

The pattern: Disney+ is the anchor, Hulu is the US bundle bonus, and every other platform is a rental or purchase fallback. For most viewers, the real decision is subscribe versus pay-per-view.

Is The Roses a remake of The War of the Roses?

Yes — but “reimagining” is the more accurate label. Rotten Tomatoes describes the film as a remake or modern reworking of Danny DeVito’s 1989 film The War of the Roses (Rotten Tomatoes synopsis). Disney+’s description goes further, calling The Roses “a reimagining of the 1989 classic film The War of the Roses, both based on the novel by Warren Adler”.

What are the differences between The Roses and The War of the Roses?

• The 1989 film was directed by Danny DeVito and starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
• The 2025 film is directed by Jay Roach with a screenplay by Tony McNamara, and stars Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch.
• The premise stays: a seemingly successful married couple whose relationship deteriorates.
• The supporting cast is much bigger this time — Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoë Chao, Sunita Mani, Belinda Bromilow, and Allison Janney all join.

The trade-off: comparing the two films means deciding whether a modernized reading of Adler’s novel earns its place next to a classic — and the 1989 original set a high bar for how far a divorce comedy could push its audience.

Is The Roses a good movie?

Too early for a definitive verdict. The film arrived in 2025, and Rotten Tomatoes has not yet published an aggregated critics’ score (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)). Audience reception is still building.

What is the Rotten Tomatoes rating of The Roses?

• Critics’ score: not yet published on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Audience score: not yet available either.

What can be evaluated now is the package: Jay Roach directing, Tony McNamara writing, and a cast that runs from Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch to Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, and Allison Janney.

What this means: if you need a score before pressing play, wait. If you already trust the talent, the safe question isn’t “is it good” — it’s whether you want a comedy that goes dark on purpose.

Is The Roses film a true story?

No. The Roses is not based on real events; it’s adapted from Warren Adler’s novel The War of the Roses. The fiction is the point: a couple’s marriage becomes a battlefield, and the satire exaggerates real divorce dynamics into an extreme comic version.

Who stars in The Roses?

• Olivia Colman as Ivy Rose
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Theo Rose
• Supporting cast: Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoë Chao, Sunita Mani, Belinda Bromilow
• Allison Janney as Eleanor

The casting leans on two actors who specialize in elegant, brittle people — and the premise gives Colman and Cumberbatch plenty of room to make politeness feel dangerous.

What is the age difference between Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch?

Olivia Colman: born 1974 · Benedict Cumberbatch: born 1976 · Age gap: two years

• Colman is two years older than Cumberbatch.

That small gap makes the pairing feel like a contest of equals — fitting for a story about two people matching each other blow for blow.

The implication: this is a two-hander built on symmetrical star power. Neither lead dominates on paper, and that balance is exactly what the story needs.

When was The Roses filmed and released?

The film is a 2025 release. Rotten Tomatoes lists a wide theatrical date of 2025-08-29 and a streaming date of 2025-10-21. Disney+’s own listing in the available sources doesn’t confirm the same dates, so watch the official platform for the final window.

Where is The Roses filmed?

• No official filming locations have been announced.

Unlike many studio productions that promote shooting locations in advance, The Roses’ production details are thin in the available sources. If location details matter to you, treat the current silence as a placeholder, not a final answer.

Who directed The Roses?

Director: Jay Roach · Screenwriter: Tony McNamara · Streamer: Disney+

Jay Roach directs from a screenplay by Tony McNamara, according to the official Disney+ listing. That pairing — Roach’s comedy rhythm plus McNamara’s sharp dialogue — points to a script with bite.

What is the runtime of The Roses?

• Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes, per the Apple TV listing.

At 1 hour 45 minutes, it’s a compact running time for a comedy with this much cast. Expect efficient scenes and a quick build to the conflict rather than a slow-burn epic.

The catch: the release information exists in two layers — a theatrical date and a streaming date from Rotten Tomatoes, and no equivalent confirmation from Disney+ yet. Until Disney+ updates its page, treat the earlier dates as the best current estimate.

The Roses (2025) vs The War of the Roses (1989): key differences

Six rows, one pattern: the story DNA is identical, and almost everything around it — director, cast, era — has been rebuilt for a streaming audience.

A successful married couple’s relationship deteriorates

Why this matters: if you go in expecting the 1989 film, you’ll find the bones — but the body is different. The 2025 version is its own movie, carrying the same novel’s name and DNA into a streaming-era divorce comedy.

The Roses specs at a glance

Twelve specifications, one takeaway: the film’s data mixes officially confirmed details with listing-based estimates, so treat the dates as provisional.

What this means: the specs confirm a star-driven, platform-native production. The only genuinely soft numbers are the release dates — everything else is consistent across listings.

The upsides and downsides

One honest framing: The Roses has a killer cast and a sharp premise, but it’s not a safe choice for viewers who want their comedies light.

The trade-off: you’re trading the comfort of a proven hit for the thrill of a sharp, risky comedy. If dark satire is your lane, the cast alone justifies the stream.

From novel to 2025: The Roses timeline

• 1981 — Warren Adler publishes the novel The War of the Roses.
• 1989 — The War of the Roses film is released, directed by Danny DeVito.
• 2025-08-29 — Rotten Tomatoes lists a wide theatrical release for The Roses.
• 2025-10-21 — Rotten Tomatoes lists the streaming release for The Roses.

The pattern: four decades between novel and reimagining, and the story’s core — a marriage as total warfare — didn’t age a day. What changed is the delivery system: 1989 was theater, 2025 is streaming.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

Given how new the release is, the confirmed list is shorter than the unclear list — a normal state for a 2025 title still rolling out.

Why this matters: the unclear list is not a red flag — it’s a timing issue. Streaming-era releases often publish complete data only as the official window approaches.

What the sources say

“The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 classic film The War of the Roses, both based on the novel by Warren Adler.”

Disney+ (official description)

“The 2025 film centers on a seemingly successful married couple whose relationship deteriorates.”

Rotten Tomatoes (synopsis)

Listed availability: subscription on Disney+, purchase through Apple TV and Amazon Video.

Plex (streaming guide)

Listed availability: Hulu subscription, purchase through YouTube, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, and Fandango At Home.

Filmelier (streaming guide)

What this means: the four sources agree on the essentials — streaming first, rental fallback, and the Adler novel as the shared origin — even when they disagree on the exact date.

The takeaway

For the viewer who already has Disney+ or the Hulu bundle, The Roses is a zero-friction watch: Colman and Cumberbatch alone justify an evening, and the reimagining angle gives the story a fresh reason to exist. For the skeptical rental buyer, the choice is also clear: wait for the Rotten Tomatoes score to populate, or rent the 1989 original first and watch the two versions back to back. The 2025 film doesn’t replace Danny DeVito’s classic — it gives Colman and Cumberbatch a compelling stage to redefine the satire for a streaming audience.

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